Explore Big Sky Sanctuary

Welcome to the Big Sky Community

Indigo and Tass and Leo in the background.

Two toots on a truck.

Andre the Giant. Formidable and fierce.

Pippa when she was a tiny bub way back in 2015.

Big Sky Sanctuary is located on Bunurong Country, in what is now commonly known as South Gippsland. In solidarity with local Aboriginal communities, we acknowledge that this land was never ceded.

Big Sky is an intentional multi-species community. The humans who live in the community operate within an ecofeminist,consistent anti-oppressionframework, which prioritises the ethics of care. It is a place where the oppressive rules of mainstream society are actively rejected. Big Sky community members, including residents, volunteers, patrons and friends, are working to co-create a vibrant inter-species community; our utopian vision for future non-human/human relations.

The resident community members at Big Sky come from a diversity of backgrounds. Some have found their way here after being rescued from the horrific conditions of factory farms, some rehomed, abandoned or considered no longer “useful”. Others have been with us long before the sanctuary existed. Each one has a unique story which speaks to their involvement in the community.

The name Big Sky was inspired by the dramatic, daily show of colour and light from a seemingly endless, big sky. The vistas are spectacular and fill us with a sense of freedom and purpose.

Welcome to the Big Sky Community! Enjoy your virtual tour here on the website and if you would like to know more, please open up a dialogue with us via emailbigskysanctuaryinc@gmail.com .

Why We Aren’t Open to the Public

We know that if we operated more like a business, with opening hours and scheduled tours, bumper stickers and a tax deductible status, that we would attract more donations. And it’s not that we don’t need the money, money pays for vet bills and feed bills and we have plenty of both. It’s that we need something more important, that you have us in your minds. We need you to come and visit us.

When we have visitors to the sanctuary, we want them to have a hands on experience rather than that of a voyeur. We invite visitors who want to be a part of what we are doing, not just those who want only to see what we are doing. We want visitors to experience what happens here each day, warts and all. Monthly working bees are set at the first Sunday of the month so that dates can be put in diaries well ahead of time. Live in volunteering is also encouraged, as some experiences are outside the usual working bee hours.

Our sky is big and we want everyone to experience it. So we invite people to join us as our hands get dirty doing the day to day tasks involved in providing sanctuary for those in need.